Send this to a friend

When service begins on the first leg of Charlotte's light-rail system, the daily commute will be revolutionized for its passengers.

But the long-term success of mass transit in Charlotte will depend largely on how many homes and businesses spring up near the transit stations that will dot its five major corridors.

City planners are proposing guidelines that will encourage development near the rail lines, hoping that a healthy number of commuters kick the car habit and take mass transit instead.

The first frontier for major change is South Boulevard, which is expected over the next several decades to evolve from an endless row of strip retail centers and car dealerships into a string of multi-use developments linked by light rail. Construction began in October on the 11.5-mile stretch of the line from uptown to Interstate 485 near Pineville. The $317 million line will include 14 transit stations where homes, retail and office space will be clustered.

"We think residential at the transit areas is what's going to happen first," says Laura Harmon, who is managing the south corridor station planning for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission.

"You don't have to look any further than South End to see examples of transit-oriented residential development," she says.

The appeal of life along the transit line has been manifested in a wide array of projects. They include Summit Grandview, a 266-unit luxury apartment complex on East Morehead Street, the Park Avenue condo building and the South End Square apartments. The most recent residential project is Kingston Flats, MECA Properties' condominium building that's nearing completion.

"We realize that it's certainly a lifestyle choice and only a segment of the market," says Harmon. But the sudden supply of high-density developments in South End fuels the belief that more Charlotteans would chose to live near transit lines and take the train to work.

The response of developers in South End, though, might not predict their response elsewhere. The area has inherent appeal because of its proximity to uptown and Dilworth, and is already served by the trolley line. City planners are deeply involved in developing zoning classifications designed to encourage high-density residential development along the length of transit lines.

The city is developing transit zoning districts as part of a major effort to revamp its general development principles, the broad guidelines that guide Charlotte's growth. The zoning districts will mandate residential development along transit lines.

For residential development, the greatest focus will be on a half-mile circle surrounding each station. Planners are developing two designations -- transit-oriented zoning and interim transit-oriented zoning -- that they expect to apply around stations. The zoning will require a minimum housing density of 15 residential units per acre within a half-mile of a transit station and 20 units per acre within a quarter mile.

Transit-oriented zoning will be the most restrictive classification and will be used in areas where the market shows signs of rapidly redeveloping with high-density mixed-use projects. The interim category will be used in areas where the market does not yet seem ripe for rapid redevelopment and will be the most flexible for existing uses, says Garet Walsh, program manager for general development policies at the planning commission.

"We expect there will be a mixture of different home types and densities based on the character of the transit stations," says Walsh. Housing will be denser closer to uptown while single-family homes could be built closer to Pineville and I-485.

Between the extremes, expect to see attached townhomes, multistory condos and mid-rise to high-rise housing, says Walsh. Standards for lower heights will be set for development near established neighborhoods.

Before zoning is changed, the planning staff will go through the normal procedure for recommending a rezoning and taking public input, Walsh says. All rezoning recommendations will be voted on by the planning commission.

Planners expect to create transit zoning for all five corridors, but will probably rely most heavily on the more flexible interim form initially, Harmon says, especially in areas where prior development presents obstacles for redevelopment.

The northeast corridor from uptown to the University area, the southeast corridor along Independence Boulevard, a commuter line paralleling Interstate 77 heading north and the western corridor along Wilkinson Boulevard to the airport will also be recommended for rezoning around transit lines, but will likely have more focus on employment centers than residential development, Harmon says.

The new zoning will encourage high-density development by sparing developers the often-arduous process of rezoning individual properties. City Council will likely also provide incentives for transit-supportive development, including infrastructure improvements such as roads, parks and sidewalks, Walsh notes.

Developer Andy Heath believes the city is demonstrating vision with its transit-station area plan, and he expects to be among the first developers to extend the South End formula of high-density mixed-use developments down South Boulevard.

Heath Partners is constructing 3030 South, a transit-oriented development at the planned New Bern station, just south of South End. The complex of 96 condos and two small office and retail buildings on 4.2 acres will have its first residents by early spring. Of the initial phase of 36 townhomes and lofts, 23 have sold for $120,000 to $225,000 each.

While urban development can be more difficult because of the densities, high land costs and working in confined spaces, Heath says the new zoning at transit stations will make projects such as his workable for developers and right for the city.

"I can't see how anybody who is civic-minded would have a problem with the plans for the South Boulevard corridor," says Heath. "The concept will revolutionize transportation in this area."

Yet the plan has struck opposition from some developers and organizations that fear requirements for high-density development around stations will make it harder for new developments to happen outside those districts, especially in suburban settings. As part of the growth policies under consideration, developers will have to address such issues as transportation adequacy and connectivity before getting the green light from the planning commission to do high-density residential development outside transit corridors.

Tim Morgan, regional director for the Real Estate and Building Industry Coalition, says while the organization supports higher-density development linked to transit, limiting the scale of development in areas outside the corridors, areas called wedges, could force developers out of Mecklenburg County. That's where land is less expensive and demographics support their projects.

"If you limit it in the wedges, the developers are not always going to go to the corridors, they will go to the outlying communities," Morgan says.

Others think the proposed policies don't go far enough.

Tom Low, director of town planning at the local office of Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co., a design firm nationally known for its promotion of New Urbanism concepts, says planners need to give more weight to property uses in corridors.

Requiring a mix of retail, office and residential developments would make it possible for residents to shop and work in the area, lessening the need for a car and ultimately allowing mass transit to fulfill its promise -- reducing traffic congestion.

Low says planners need to focus more on the quality of the developments, including the breadth of their uses, rather than just density.

Despite the ongoing disputes about growth policies and zoning, many already anticipate benefits from mass transit.

The Charlotte Mecklenburg Housing Partnership Inc., a nonprofit advocate of affordable housing, purchased 10 acres within a half-mile of the Arrowood Road Station. It plans to build a low-rise housing development on the site, which is near a large employment center.

The organization does not yet have funding, but hopes to win the backing to begin work within two years.

"South End could mean all high-end," says Pat Garrett, president of the housing partnership. "We think our folks would ride on mass transit. We really want to prove to people that affordable housing and dense housing can be nice housing that is a real asset to the community."

Industries:

Comments

If you are commenting using a Facebook account, your profile information may be displayed with your comment depending on your privacy settings. By leaving the 'Post to Facebook' box selected, your comment will be published to your Facebook profile in addition to the space below.